Bias ply to radial

[Troy JK]

Not sure painting the wheels is working out. I tried steel brush, wash, vinegar, rustoleum primer and then rustoleum paint. I can rub the primer off with my finger after 24 hours of drying.

not sure how I can tell which wheels fit, will this fit? (15" wheel as opposed to the 14" that come stock.)

Kenda Karrier ST205/75R15 Radial Trailer Tire with 15" Black Mod Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - LR C Kenda Trailer Tires and Wheels AM32238B (etrailer.com)

only thing I’ve heard of as to using vinegar was for removing rust. That looks like galvanized wheels, i would have used etching primer. it now comes in a can and can found at the hardware store.

 

[mraz72]

just went out and gave the rim a hard rub with my finger, no paint. Maybe it's adhering? I'll give it another coat tomorrow to see what that does, it's a little uneven looking now.

 

[Cambo]

Ive seen so many radials come apart on trailers that I’ll never but another. Ran my last set of bias plies so long they had no tread left. Replaced them with another set of the same. kenda load range D.
it doesn’t matter to me if radials ride smoother, I don’t ride in the boat until its in the water.

The bias tires that came on the 2005 mfi trailer lasted until the tread started to wear very low and they started to dry rot. They had multiple trips from Long Island to lake george and my local boat ramps have approaches that require hard backing turns that twist the tires very hard they also get pushed over and into Belgium block on the drive way. When I switched to steel belts they developed side wall bubbles and popped a hole in two of the tires first flats I have ever had on any vehicle the steel belts snapped in the side wall but these were an off brand can’t remember the brand but steer clear of cheaper radials.

 

[mraz72]

Painted rim looks patchy, almost like some parts of the rim absorbed more than others. IDK, I might try to paint all of the wheel and throw the goodyear endurance on them or another option...

etrailers and others have wheel/tire combos. They have a black steel wheel with a kendal radial that almost matches my size ($193 Ea.). The height of my stock wheel is 26.7" while the kendal is 27'1"

Any issues going with a wheel that is 1/2" larger in height?

and hopefully I measured correctly, i have my stock wheels at 5 | 4 1/2" which means a 5 bolt pattern with a diameter of 4.5". The other bolt pattern options are 5 on 5" and 6 on 5.5". So did I measure within a 1/2" accuracy

original size (215/75r14) VS new size(205/75r15).

 

[2kwik4u]

I’m glad you shared that. As you are the first I have ever heard that from. It’s interesting to note other folks’ experience, especially when it is weighted so heavily in the opposite direction.

100% agree. Thanks for sharing to @Troy JK

I'm in the radial camp myself. My Bias Plys served me well for 5 seasons. I'm on my first season with radials. Biggest issue with Bias Plys is the flat spotting when they sit and the first 5 miles of vibration to get them round again.

When I was towing car trailers for track days I ran radial LT tires. Better load ratings and deeper tread for longer wear life.

In theory, radials should run cooler due to less sidewall deflection. Less deflection means less heat generation. In practice they're really similar due to inflation levels, loadings, trailer maintenance, and myriad of other factors.

End conclusion here is that I don't think Bias Plys are bad, radials are just a little better overall. A quality tire that is well maintained will last just fine, regardless of construction style.

 

[mraz72]

I just picked up some etched primer as well as more matt black. I have all the wheels without tires, although the left the balance weights that come from the factory on the wheel, pain in the ass to get off. I'll post the results of the wheel painting once I'm done, might look like crap.

That leads me to another question, should I have the tire shop balance the wheels? They were saying by default they don't for trailers. Seems like the removal of any vibration is welcomed, I'm going to have them balanced as well, I don't see where it can hurt.

 

[Cambo]

If you tow far get some tire pressure sensors they have inexpensive kits . Just towed round trip 800 miles and I have ones that screw onto the valve stem but they have internal kits . They show tire pressure and temperature and you can set alarms

 

[mraz72]

I didn't get the tire sensors but I do think they look a lot better than they did. Not the greatest pic, I'll get better ones once I get my black lug nuts.





The key was the etching primer, thanks for the person who mentioned that. I did one wheel without etching and it looks completely differently (very rough vs the etching primer wheels are smooth) and it is less durable. I'll use that wheel as my spare.

Black lug nuts on the way, I went with the cheapy amazon china variety, pics to come after it's done.

 

[biffdotorg]

Black lug nuts on the way, I went with the cheapy amazon china variety, pics to come after it's done.

You really have no idea what my level of "cheap" is. I bought these used to finish a wheel stud upgrade on a Wildcat SXS.

I hear the Sanford and Son theme. Used lug nuts on Amazon! Junk yard of the 2020’s

 

[jEt_jAk]

My bias ply literally came off the rim. Less than 2 years old and barely used. Switched to radials.

 

[biffdotorg]

That big scuff on the sidewall of the tire is telling me, the type of tire had nothing to do with why it came off the rim. If a person were to guess, it would be a tire, possibly low on pressure, met up with a curb, or other immovable object. I could be wrong, bias ply tires want to jump off the rim on a regular basis. Stick with that reason.

 

[mraz72]

Final results, two tips.
1. Etching primer, without that, this entire process doesn't work.
2. Lug nuts were actually 1/2" thread -20 (20 threads per inch. I decided against the tuner lug nuts you'll see at your local parts store. I went with chrome Dorman lug nuts which were $2.99 each. Tuner lug nuts require a special key to get them off where the standard lug nuts work with a socket.



The center hub looks crappy, but oh well, on to installing my garmin chartplotter!

 

[31BVeteran]

Final results, two tips.
1. Etching primer, without that, this entire process doesn't work.
2. Lug nuts were actually 1/2" thread -20 (20 threads per inch. I decided against the tuner lug nuts you'll see at your local parts store. I went with chrome Dorman lug nuts which were $2.99 each. Tuner lug nuts require a special key to get them off where the standard lug nuts work with a socket.

View attachment 158792

The center hub looks crappy, but oh well, on to installing my garmin chartplotter!

was that all you used was etching primer? What about the paint? Love the matte black.

 

[212s]

The center hub looks crappy, but oh well

I removed the nice caps from my factory rims and put BearingBuddy rubber covers on instead - makes greasing the bearings easier as I don't have to jack up the trailer and remove the wheel to get at the bearing fitting, and it does a much better job of keeping water and debris off the zerk fitting.

 

[RobbieO]

I removed the nice caps from my factory rims and put BearingBuddy rubber covers on instead - makes greasing the bearings easier as I don't have to jack up the trailer and remove the wheel to get at the bearing fitting, and it does a much better job of keeping water and debris off the zerk fitting.

I removed the decorative caps, installed the bearing buddy bras, but then the caps wouldn't fit anymore. So I just put the caps back on. I don't under stand why you would have to remove the wheel to gain access to the zerk fitting. Mine are easily accessible either way.

 

[212s]

I removed the decorative caps, installed the bearing buddy bras, but then the caps wouldn't fit anymore. So I just put the caps back on. I don't under stand why you would have to remove the wheel to gain access to the zerk fitting. Mine are easily accessible either way.

Maybe they changed the caps or they're different wheels, but my aluminum rims have large chromed caps that can't come off without the wheel being removed. The caps fit over the BearingBuddy's without issue, but they're not removable without breaking them:

 

[RobbieO]

Maybe they changed the caps or they're different wheels, but my aluminum rims have large chromed caps that can't come off without the wheel being removed. The caps fit over the BearingBuddy's without issue, but they're not removable without breaking them:
View attachment 173141

I have the same wheels. Those black covers come off.

 

[212s]

I have the same wheels. Those black covers come off.

They're supposed to come off and they have small plastic retaining clips, but I wasn't able to get them off without breaking the clips and scratching the chromed part of the cover. So I just left them off...works for me.

 

[RobbieO]

They're supposed to come off and they have small plastic retaining clips, but I wasn't able to get them off without breaking the clips and scratching the chromed part of the cover. So I just left them off...works for me.

Well, you just use a plastic trim tool and work your way around. I have removed mine several times with no issues. When I put the bras on though, the covers wouldn't fit. So I took the bras off. You can buy new covers here:

http://sendelwheel.com/resources/catalogs/2021-Product-Wheels-242021.pdf